


knee pads

by inarizaki (xixuwus)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Knee Pads, M/M, that's pretty much it tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:49:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25264882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xixuwus/pseuds/inarizaki
Summary: where do you get your knee pads?
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio & Kunimi Akira, Kageyama Tobio/Kunimi Akira
Comments: 8
Kudos: 87





	knee pads

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kitcassiachan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitcassiachan/gifts).



> kit got me hooked on kunikage and this idea wouldn't leave my head so i wrote this for her

it starts with a text. it shouldn’t surprise him since he didn’t change his number before and of course they have each other’s numbers from middle school, but it’s nearly time for bed and he’s got a text from kunimi that’s surprisingly neutral. 

_ where do you get your knee pads?  _

the cogs in kageyama’s brain are grinding against each other. rushes of different answers and questions are trying to push themselves in line to be the first one onto the keypad. instead, he decides to be straightforward. 

_ why do you want to know?  _

the response comes back almost at the speed of lightning. 

_ okay then, if you don’t wanna tell me then fine.  _

hostile. kageyama panics and fumbles with his keyboard for a moment. 

_ I don’t know the name of the store. But I know where it is. Maybe we could go together?  _

the response takes ages this time as kageyama watches kunimi type and erase his message several times. 

_ okay. I’m free this Saturday at noon.  _

kageyama’s heart thumps against his rib cage, a smile blossoming on his face. 

_ okay. _

* * *

this is not a bad idea, kunimi keeps saying to himself as he lets kageyama lead him through town in search of one specific store. he suddenly feels the need to hide his face as if kindaichi or someone from his team would see him fraternizing with the enemy. in the few months since they’d started at different schools, kageyama has changed a lot. he’s already bigger and smarter, and he’s got that monster spiker of his.

kunimi’s fingers suddenly itch, trying to remember how it felt to hit one of kageyama’s sets. disgusting, he remembers. demanding and unnecessary, unrestrained. he much prefers this kageyama who can only find a sports store because they’ve got basketballs in the window display. 

“it’s here,” kageyama finally says.

kunimi knows this place. truth be told, he doesn’t need to know where kageyama gets his knee pads. kunimi and kageyama have always gotten their knee pads at the same place, the same brand. it was kageyama who taught kunimi to push his knee pads to his ankles to keep the back of their knees from chaffing and even gave him his pair of knee pads during a practice game when kunimi forgot his. 

he won’t admit it, but the knee pads were just half an excuse to see kageyama without being too awkward about it. besides, kindaichi would scold him for hanging out with the king of the court. in any case, kunimi  _ did  _ need new knee pads since his current ones were a bit rundown, so this outing isn’t totally based on a lie. 

kageyama wastes no time making his way straight to the volleyball equipment, plucking out the black pads and handing the package to kunimi. he’s so quick kunimi could’ve mistaken his efficiency for wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. he takes them and thanks kageyama, tongue-tied at the register trying to think of something to say to him to get him to stay a little longer. 

“we still have some time left,” kageyama says. “do you want to... do something together?”

kunimi’s not a setter. he doesn’t know how to evaluate a player’s condition and decide whether they should hit or wait, but he does know kageyama. he knows kageyama is just as awkward as him, if not more awkward, never quite saying what’s on his mind. he follows kageyama’s line of sight and notices the cat cafe across the street. kunimi resists the urge to smile. 

“if you wanted to get a drink, you should’ve just said so,” kunimi mutters, tugging at kageyama’s sleeve and dragging him across the street. 

they end up at a window table with sweet, milky drinks and a fluffy white cat right above their heads whose tail keeps brushing the top of kunimi’s hair. there’s little banter about the past and no questions about what they’ve been up to or how they’re doing. time outside of this moment doesn’t exist. there’s no homework kunimi needs to do and no practice he needs to get to—it’s just him, kageyama, and cats. 

unfortunately, time inside the cafe still ticks away, and it’s nearly less than an hour before kunimi does have volleyball practice, and he’ll be skinned alive by the vice captain if he’s late for practice.

“i’ll walk you home,” kageyama says, like a gentleman, like a date. 

kunimi wants to tell him he can manage by himself, but he’s afraid that if he speaks the butterflies in his stomach will escape. their walk back to kunimi’s house is silent save for the rustle of trees and distant birds cawing. silence has never been a big issue for kageyama and kunimi, both relatively quiet. in their middle school days, they were the two who kept to themselves most, comfortable with keeping their mouths shut and observing. though, in kageyama’s case, he was probably analyzing and processing information that kunimi didn’t have the skill to understand. he doesn’t quite understand kageyama and his desperation for volleyball, but he can understand their silence.

“your shoe is untied,” kageyama suddenly says, glaring at kunimi’s undone laces.

kunimi clicks his tongue. “so? what’re you gonna do about it? tie it for me?” kunimi jokes.

he almost celebrates with himself about his quick wit when kageyama blushes pink, but then kageyama is bending down, and kunimi panics in the middle of a dead empty road.

“are you crazy? I was joking!” he exclaims, as he tries to get kageyama to stand straight again. “you don’t just kneel in front of—never mind, I’ll just tie it myself.” 

kunimi sets his bag down on the road as he bends to tie his shoe with shaky hands. from the corner of his eye, he sees kageyama pick his bag up off the street. “I’ll hold this for you,” he mutters, as if apologizing for his earlier behavior, and kunimi just huffs. what kind of king bends so easily?

he stands up after tying his shoe and expects kageyama to give him his bag back, but they just continue walking on. it’s not much longer before they reach kunimi’s house, and kunimi hopes to god that his granny isn’t home so she won’t ask a million questions about kageyama or, worse, come out and greet him. 

“thanks for walking me home,” kunimi says. he holds out his hand for his bag, and kageyama stares at it for a long moment before he slides his palm against kunimi’s hand, twines their fingers together.

kunimi blushes bright red, heart racing as he tries to shake kageyama’s grip off. “m-m-my bag, idiot.” 

“oh.” kageyama’s ears are glowing as he fumbles to put the bag in kunimi’s hands.

“this was… alright,” kunimi mutters, trying his hardest to look anywhere but at kageyama’s eyes. 

“I liked this,” he says, a little too quickly. “let’s do this again sometime. bye.” 

kunimi barely has a moment to agree before kageyama is jogging down the street. he really hasn’t changed that much, kunimi thinks.

* * *

“kunimi, you’re late!” kindaichi exclaims, dragging kunimi into the gym by his sleeve. “you’re lucky iwaizumi-san isn’t here yet. you should do your stretching before he finds out and yells at you.” 

kunimi strips his jacket off and throws it on top of his stuff as he starts stretching his legs, kindaichi right next to him. 

“where were you anyways? it’s not like you to be late,” kindaichi mutters.

kunimi’s fingertips tingle, and he looks over at his bags. “I had to go buy new knee pads.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [my twitter uwu](https://twitter.com/wenjunslut)


End file.
